Allison Tracy-Taylor began her work in oral history in 2002 at the University of Nevada Oral History Program (UNOHP), eventually interviewing for a multi-year project on the history of women’s athletics at the University of Nevada. Returning to the UNOHP as its coordinator in 2009, Allison served as one of the editors for the resulting book We Were All Athletes: Title IX and Women’s Athletics at the University of Nevada.
In 2008 Allison joined the first cohort of students at Columbia University’s Oral History Master of Arts Program. Her research culminated in her masters thesis entitled "I began marching: Reclaiming Narrative with the Voices of Women Organizing Project".
In 2012 Allison became the oral historian for the Stanford Historical Society, working to document Stanford University’s history through the stories of prominent faculty members and administrators. In addition to interviewing, she managed a corps of volunteers and served as the program’s senior oral history mentor.
In 2015, Allison joined the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) as the oral history administrator. In this position she supported the efforts of the Kentucky Oral History Commission (KOHC), the only commission of its kind in the United States. She provided outreach, education, and technical support to oral history projects throughout Kentucky, managed the KOHC’s grant program, and collaborated to manage KHS's extensive oral history collections.
In 2017, Allison left the KOHC to work as an independent oral historian based in Sacramento, California. She is currently working with the California State Library to develop a website that will feature oral histories about the state’s history and heritage, particularly highlighting the diversity of California.
Allison currently serves as the 2018-2019 Vice President for the Oral History Association (OHA). In October, 2019 during the OHA’s annual meeting in Salt Lake City, she will become the President of the Association, serving in this role for a year. She previously served on the OHA’s Council from 2015-2018, the Education Committee, and has served on the Program Committee for the multiple annual meetings. Allison is also a member of the Southwest Oral History Association (SOHA) and has served on SOHA’s scholarship committee. In addition to an M.A. in Oral History from Columbia University, Allison holds a B.A. in English Literature and Sociology from the University of Nevada.